Teaching Media Ethics

Nicole Kraft spent 25 years working as an award-winning journalist, as well as in professional sports and political communication before joining the Ohio State School of Communication in 2010. As an associate professor of clinical communication, she teaches Media Writing and Editing, Sports Journalism, Sports Media Relations, Feature Writing and Media Law and Ethics. In 2022 Nicole was honored with Ohio State’s Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Journalism Educators of America’s Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award. In 2015 Kraft was inducted as an Apple Distinguished Educator and in 2022 she was inducted into the Ohio State Academy of Teaching. Kathleen Bartzen Culver is the James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics, an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication and director of the Center for Journalism Ethics. Long interested in the implications of digital media on journalism and public interest communication, Culver integrates research, teaching and service to advance integrity in media. She also studies free expression, especially in campus contexts. She serves as visiting faculty for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and was the founding editor of PBS MediaShift’s education section. Culver’s teaching portfolio includes media law, ethics, mass media practices and multimedia design. In 2021, she was named the Scripps Howard Journalism Teacher of the Year.

Introduction

Chapter 1: Media Ethics Defined, Patrick Lee Plaisance, Penn State University

Part I: Ethics at Every Level

Chapter 2: Undergraduate Media Ethics: An Introduction, Patrick Lee Plaisance, Penn State University

Chapter 3: Teaching Advanced Undergraduate Media Ethics, Patrick R. Johnson, University of Iowa

Chapter 4: Graduate Seminars in Media Ethics, Ryan J. Thomas, Washington State University

Chapter 5: Diversifying the Ethics Curriculum, Chad Painter, University of Dayton

Chapter 6: Inclusive Teaching as Ethical Practice, Patrick R. Johnson, University of Iowa

Part II: Ethics in Every Area of Study

Chapter 7: Developing a Combined Media Law and Ethics Course, Jack Breslin, Iona University

Chapter 8: Ethics in Introductory Reporting Courses, Lee Wilkins, University of Missouri and Wayne State University

Chapter 9: Ethics in Photography and Visuals, Alex Scott, University of Iowa

Chapter 10: Public Relations Ethics Education in Advanced Courses, Katie R. Place, Quinnipiac University; and Angela Zhang, University of Oklahoma

Chapter 11: Ethics in Broadcast News Classes, April Newton, Loyola University Maryland

Chapter 12: Ethics in Student Media, Nicole Kraft, The Ohio State University

Part III: Ethics in Specialized Topics

Chapter 13. Covering Law and Justice, Kathleen Culver, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Chapter 14: Data Ethics, Jasmine E. McNealy, University of Florida

Chapter 15: Sports Reporting, Nicole Kraft, The Ohio State University

Chapter 16: Digital Ethics, Julianne H. Newton, University of Oregon

Chapter 17: Relational Journalism, Paul S. Voakes, Paula Lynn Ellis, and Lori Bergen, University of Colorado

Chapter 18: Covering Mental Health, Suicide and Substance Use, Kathleen Culver, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Chapter 19: Social Media, Sheila Lalwani, University of Texas-Austin

Chapter 20: Science, Health and Environmental Journalism, Rhema Zlaten, Colorado Mesa Universitya

Chapter 21: Foreign Correspondence, Sheila Lalwani, University of Texas-Austin

Part IV: Ethics Beyond the Classroom

Chapter 22: Teaching the Ethics of Civic Journalism, Mark Poepsel, Southern Illinois

University-Edwardsville

Chapter 23: Media Ethics is for Everyone, Joseph Jones, West Virginia University

Index

About the Contributors